Car-coupling.



H. W. GILBERT.

CAR COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED 11.111.18.1912.

3,1 99,934, Y Pafemeaseptf1a1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

vH. W. GILBERT.

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UNITED STATES PATENT O1 HOWARD W. GILBERT, OF CLEVELAND,` OHIO,AASSIGNOR TO THE NATIONAL MALLE- ABLE CASTINGS COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

CAR-COUPLING..

Application led March 18, 1912. Serial No. 684,457.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HOWARD W. GILBERT,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, Cuyahoga county, State of Ohio, have invented an Improvement in Car- Couplings, of which the following is a specification, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, forming part of the specification, in which- Figure 1 is a plan View partly in section of my improved car coupler; Fig. 2 is a section on lines II-II of Fig. 1, and Figs. 3, 1, 5, G, and 8 show modified forms o'f my device.

My invention relates to car couplers, and is especially designed to provide an interlocking engagement between the coupler head and the tail of the knuckle which will positively prevent any vertical movement of the knuckle-tail relative to the head.

In the accompanying drawings, in which I have shown my improvements as applied to a coupler of the type shown in a patent granted to Harry T. Krakau No. 1,040,551 dated October S, 1912, 2 is the coupler head and 3 is the knuckle pivoted thereto by the pivot pin 11. 5 is the vertically movable lock which operates through an opening in the coupler head. The knuckle 3 has a rear- 30 wardly extending tail 6, the back or rear face of which has inclined and preferably wedged shaped surfaces 7. These wedged shaped surfaces 7, which extend both longitudinally and laterally of the coupler head, are adapted to fit against corresponding inclined bearing surfaces 8 in the recess 9 of the coupler head and to be held by the lock -positively against the same. `The lock 5 which moves vertically, has down- 40 .wardly converging sides 5 so that it drops by gravity and wedges in the space between the coupler head 2 and the forward side 10 of the knuckle tail, thus holding the knuckle tail 6 with itswedge shaped rear surfaces 7 firmly against the inclined bearing surfaces S as above described. This engagement of the knuckle tail between the inclined bearing surfaces S and the lock 5 not only prevents loose lateral motion of the knuckle, but also holds the knuckle tail against any vertical motion, so that there is provided an efficient interlock of the knuckle tail with the coupler head, preventing any motion whatever of the knuckle tail.

' ment, however slight such movement ma be, this creeping movement of the lock is liable to begin.

As the bearing surfaces of my device allow no play of the knuckle tail, the lock cannot tend to creep upward with the resultant danger of uncoupling. Moreover, it will be seen that any wear between the wedge shaped bearing surfaces 7 of the rear of the knuckle tail and the coacting bearing surfaces S of the coupler head will be automatically taken up bythe lock, since, because of its wedge shape, it will merely drop lower in the coupler head and will always bear securely and firmly on both the front face 10 of the knuckle tail, and on the coupler head opposite the recess 9 for the knuckle tail.

In Figs. 3 to 7 I show a number of modified forms of my device.

In Fig. 3 the rear face of the` knuckle-tail 6u has in it a groove extending over a portion of its surface, said groove having bearing surfaces 7a sloping toward the center of the knuckle-tail which are adapted to coact with bearing surfaces 8fL on a'correspo-nding ridge in the knuckle cavity 9a.

In Fig. 4 I show a form which is just the inverse of my preferred form; that is, the knuckle cavity 9b is made with its rear wall composed of two sloping surfaces 8b, which extend inwardly to a point, andthe knuckletail 6b has a corresponding depression with bearing surfaces 7 b.

The form shown in Fig. 5 is similar to my preferred form, except that the bearing surfaces 7 and SC are shortened, and instead of meeting to form a point there is a flat portion between them.

In Fig. 6 the knuckle tail 6d is made with one diagonal face 7d and the knuckle cavity 9d has one corresponding face 81 instead of the two vpairs of bearing surfaces shown in my vpreferred form.

Fig. 7 shows a form similar to Fig. 5, eX- cept that there is an additional ridge on the knuckle tail 6e and a corresponding groove in the knuckle cavity 9e. In this form the bearing surfaces 7e and 8 co-act to accomplish the desired result.

In Fig. 8 there is a further modification, in which the rear of the knuckletail Gf has a convex surface lf and the wall vof the knuckle cavity 9f has a corresponding lconvex surface 8f.

It is obvious that my improvement can be utilized in any Master Car Builders type of coupler in which the knuckle is intended to he held rigidly.

What I claim is: Y

l. In a car coupler, a knuckle having e tail extending rearwardly into the coupler cavity, said knuckle tail having on .its rear face laterally inclined bearing surfaces, cof acting bearing surfaces on the wall of the coupler-cavity, said surfaces being adapted to prevent vertical. movement of the knuckle, and a lock adapted to wedge the bearing surfaces on the knuckle tail firmly' against the surfaces on the wall of the coupler:

cavity.

2. In a car coupler, a knuckle havlng a tail extending` rearwardly into the coupler` cavity, a set of converging surfaces upon the knuckle tail, Va corresponding set of sur-` faces within the coupler cavity, said sets of surfaces being adapted lto loebrought finto wedging relation by the transverse move# ment ofy the knuckle tail, and a lock adapted to maintain said engagement `whereloy said knuckle is `held from vertical movement.-

HOWARD Wi GILBERT. lVitnesses:

HARRY E. OBR; SADIE G, GILBERT.l

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the` Commissioner of Ileftenm,A

Washington, D. C, 

